New York City Mayor Eric Adams could soon be facing down a $5 million lawsuit accusing him of sexually assaulting a woman in 1993.
In a summons with notice filed in Manhattan Supreme Court, the accuser also lists defendants as the city of New York, the New York Police Department transit bureau and the Guardian Association of the NYPD, a fraternal organization for Black law enforcement professionals.
The claims were filed under New York state’s Adult Survivors Act, which allows accuser to pursue sexual assault claims past the statute of limitations. The groundbreaking legislation, which led to a stream of lawsuits against powerful men, is scheduled to expire tomorrow.
“Coming forward is not an easy thing to do—especially against a powerful person—and I am in awe of the strength of the women who have the courage to do so,” the plaintiff’s lawyer, Megan Goddard, told The Daily Beast on Thursday.
Goddard added that she was thankful for Governor Kathy Hochul and the state legislature for passing the law. “We hope the ASA will be extended as many victims of sexual assault are only finding out about it now, as it closes,” she said.
“It’s absolutely not true,” Adams told reporters Thursday. “I would never do anything to harm anyone… My career speaks for itself… It’s something that absolutely that has never happened. I don’t even recall ever meeting the person who made this allegation—but, you know, I have a city to run and I’m focused, and I have to make sure we continue to do so. But absolutely, this has never happened.”
“The mayor does not know who this person is,” a City Hall spokesperson told The Daily Beast. “If they ever met, he doesn’t recall it. But he would never do anything to physically harm another person and vigorously denies any such claim.”
The bombshell accusations arrive as the mayor faces other legal issues: Federal prosecutors and the FBI are probing whether Adams’ 2021 election campaign conspired with a Brooklyn construction company to receive illegal foreign donations from the Turkish government.
